


One Day at a Time, Together

by Podysseus394



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Grief, Hackle, Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers 4x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Podysseus394/pseuds/Podysseus394
Summary: Ada and Hecate are left reeling after the events of the day. Ada struggles with the loss of her sister, as well as Hecate’s near-sacrifice. Hecate just wants to hold her wife.
Relationships: Amelia Cackle | Ada Cackle/Hardbroom
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	One Day at a Time, Together

**Author's Note:**

> After the emotional rollercoaster of 4x13, I couldn’t get this ficlet out of my head. It is 3:40am, and now I can finally sleep.  
> Also, this is the first time I’ve written for Hackle, and it was quite fun!

Ada barely noticed the soft knock on her office door, using minimal energy to wave it open. Hecate entered slowly, tentatively, with an unreadable expression on her tired face. The emotional turmoil the pair had gone through was clear; both had experienced such devastating loss in the midst of a crisis, leaving no room to process. The dour Deputy delicately lowered into the soft armchair opposite her colleague. Her wife.

They didn’t say anything for a long time, instead just sat staring into the crackling fire. Hecate occasionally flitted her gaze to glance at Ada, who hadn’t shed a single tear. But the heartbreak in her eyes was evident, her soul shattered.

Losing a sibling before their time was one of the worst things that could possibly happen to a person. In the magical world, the bond between twins was even stronger, that if broken would scar a witch or wizard for the rest of their life. Ada would almost certainly never feel whole again.

Ada surprised both of them by speaking first, the silence breaking like glass.

“Tea, Hecate?” Ada’s voice was so small, so fragile, that Hecate’s eyes instantly filled with tears. But she held them back, she had to be strong for her.

“No, thank you, Ada,” Hecate replied, careful to suppress the tremor she was sure would appear. Nevertheless, Ada summoned her china tea set, pink and flowery like the nightgown and robe she was wrapped up in. Hand shaking, she poured herself a cup, adding her usual three spoonfuls of sugar. She stared into the cup, swirling the milky brew around inside, as she steeled herself to talk again.

“Hecate, I must thank you for bringing me back to form,” Ada began, but Hecate interrupted before she could stop herself.

“It was Mr Daisy’s contraption that saved the day, I merely pulled a lever,” Hecate stated matter-of-factly.

“That’s not what I was talking about. I was still sentient when I was broken up. I could see, hear, and feel everything.” Ada turned to Hecate, and finally - _finally_ \- looked her in the eye.

“You almost gave up your magic to bring me back,” Ada said quietly. It was a plain statement, no emotion attached, no accusation.

“Of course I did.” Hecate’s reply was just as plain. She clasped her hands in her lap and looked down. Looking at Ada made her realise how close she had come to never seeing her, never holding her again. And how, once again, she had been fooled by Agatha.

“Why, Hecate?” This made her raise her head in surprise.

“How can you not know why, Ada? You were gone, you broke to pieces in front of me. I have never felt grief like that in my life, not even when my mother died, and the only way I could still the pain for a moment was to believe that I could find a way to fix you. I had to try everything, and if sacrificing my magic was what brought you back then so be it. A life without magic is nothing compared to a life without you.”

Hecate sat back in her chair with an exhausted sigh. She ran her elegant fingers over her temples in an attempt to ease the growing ache that lay behind them.

“I love you, Ada. More than I’ve loved anything in my life, more than life itself. I love you,” she confessed, the most vulnerable she had ever allowed herself to be in front of her wife.

“And I love you, Hecate. More than the earth loves the sun, and the sea loves the moon. Which is why I couldn’t bear it if you gave up the thing that gives you strength. A witch is but a shell without her magic, you know that. But every day, I am reminded of how lucky I am that you agreed to be my deputy, and then my wife. You hold such strength, strength that I will never know again.”

And that’s when Ada broke down. Hecate was on her knees in front of her in an instant, bundling her life partner up in her arms. She winced slightly at the sound of Ada’s teacup shattering in the floor, far too similar to the sound of Ada’s body crumbling before her eyes. But Ada was her focus now, she had to pour everything she had into holding her wife together, when she could not do it herself.

“Why did she leave me?” Ada choked out, her body heaving with sobs. Hecate could only murmur soft comforts and cry with her. Not for Agatha, she could never cry for the witch who nearly took her wife away. She cried because of the anguish Ada was going through, and because she knew that there was nothing she could do to heal the rupture in her heart.

“I should have stopped her, I should have tried-“ she wept, before Hecate pulled back to shush her gently.

“You couldn’t have done anything to stop her, it all happened so quickly. All your life you have tried to turn Agatha to the right path, and she always resisted you. There is nothing more you could have done for her. You are not responsible for her death, do you hear me?” Hecate implored, her eyes full of sadness. Ada gave the slightest nod, before she was wrapped up in another hug.

After what seemed like forever, Ada’s sobs quietened. The tears still damp on her face, and body quivering, she made to stand up, forcing Hecate to sit on the floor. 

“I need to call my mother, she needs to know.”

“Would you like me to-?” Hecate was cut off by the shake of Ada’s head. She understood, this was something that could not be delegated. 

“Go to bed, Hecate. I will be with you shortly.” 

Hecate nodded, and transferred herself to the rooms she shared with Ada. They were attached to Ada’s office, and while she could have easily walked, she needed to burn off the energy that was tingling at her fingertips. 

She began preparing herself for bed, meticulously taking the pins out of her hair, and changing into her silk and lace nightgown. If she concentrated hard enough, she would be able to block out the wailing of Alma Cackle as she received the news of her daughter’s demise. Hecate scrunched her eyes shut, holding her head as she sank down onto her side of the bed. She had to remind herself of how lucky she was. She had got Ada back, she could hold her wife again. Ada would never see her sister again, and there wasn’t even a body to bury. 

But Hecate was determined to do something for her wife. Even though she despised Agatha Cackle, she loved Ada Cackle with every fibre of her being, and she would help her through this. She would arrange a memorial just for Ada, maybe by the lake, so she could grieve privately. 

Her planning was interrupted by the slow click of the door. Ada was completely drained, fresh tear tracks lining her face. She collapsed on the bed, and Hecate had to coax her under the covers.

“Hold me, please,” Ada requested, so gentle and almost child-like that Hecate almost broke.

“Of course, my love.” Hecate wrapped one arm around her waist, and stroked her hair with the other.

“I don’t know how to live my life without her,” Ada confessed softly, her voice muffled against her wife’s shoulder.

“You take it one day at a time. You will carry her with you for the rest of your life. You will wonder what she would think about choices you make, do the things you used to do together. And you will remember her, for better or for worse.” Hecate spoke, quietly but firmly.

“One day at a time together? Ada asked, almost inaudibly. Hecate nodded , and held Ada just a little bit tighter as her wife drifted into a cautious slumber, with the promise that they would take everything one day at a time together. 


End file.
